A joke at the time (that was very
near the truth) was that snowmobiles are a lot like women...
You spend an hour workin' on 'em and ten minutes ridin' 'em.

Am I just having a streak of bad luck, or are boats like
snowmobiles (and women)?

IMHO if these are the sort of women you pick & how you view them, then
you are likely to pick a boat that's also cheap & only for screwing
with too, and did.